The History of the Garden
by YanaNeko
Summary: Everyone claims to know what happened in the past: Angels and Demons were enemies, the world was destroyed, recreated, and they finally coexisted. But no one knows why all of that happened. [Etihw x Kcalb, with slight Wodahs x Grora, among others. Rating/Genre may change.]
1. PROLOGUE

_How long will this life go on?_

_How long will this pain go on?_

_How long will this world go on?_

The war continued to rage on in the Garden. Everyone fought their all. They didn't have any particular reason why. The only thing that existed in everyone's mind at the moment was nothing but sheer hate and destruction.

Such a sight made her frown.

_Wherever did that 'peace' go now...?_

* * *

_I just wanted it to end._

_This life, this pain, this world, everything._

_Everything. **Everything**…_

_... ... It... didn't have to come to this conclusion, did it?_ He thought, taking a sorrowful glance at the one whom he had mentioned. As much as he didn't want to, he had to fight her... whether he liked it or not.

And... He has to use it. That one spell. He has to use it on her. **Her**, of all people.

* * *

_Because…Because he…doesn't love me…_

_but her…_

_Yes. He went to **that** person, instead of me_, she thought, anger forming in her mind. Surely this was all his fault; she never wanted to hurt him like this, never in her dreams, but... he did.

Or did he?

_Hey... You..._

* * *

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. **I'm sorry…**_

That was all that went in his mind at that moment. Those two little words, no matter how much wanted to tell her that, it was all too late. And there was no guarantee that she would accept it, even.

_Would you still believe me if I say those words? I wonder..._ he thought, and for a split second... a sad smile appeared on his face.

* * *

_There's no going back this late…_

_Betray her…Betray the world, too._

"Tell me... ... ... why did you do this to me? And to the Garden, no less?" she asked him, her voice strict, but only on the outside; in the inside, she felt as though she wanted to break down, to scream, or to simply cry.

The receiver of those words, however, chose to say nothing. Instead, he continued to attack her as much as he could. Of course, she didn't know, despite being a God; after all, he had to keep silent. Whether he liked it or not.

* * *

_But…I've done what I could, you see?_

_Though it was to no avail._

That was it. He was at his limit. He'd had enough of all this destruction, all the pain, all these negative thoughts running in his mind.

And with that, he made the ultimate decision.

_…I'm sorry._

_**…Goodbye**._

And with a flash, everything went black.


	2. Current State of Affairs

_Let's rewind a little bit… so that we may all know how it came to this…_

* * *

**I  
-Current State of Affairs-**

There was a universe, where many unique worlds existed. Some of them were small, some of them were vast, and the rest were either unnoticed or just average, as one would say. Each world had their own share of occupants, occupants which weren't exactly human.

Among all these, there was this one world that somehow stood out from the rest. A world where its residents lived in harmony and peace; a world where everyone got along as if there were no differences between themselves.

This world… is called the Gray Garden.

It was a world where its residents are divided into two groups, namely, the angels and the devils. While it's true that they really contradict each other in this sense, it is actually something that would be completely ignored by everyone pretty soon enough.

**Soon.**

* * *

The Gray Garden has a vast amount of territory. Within it are dangerous forests, each having a unique characteristic that distinguished one forest from another. For instance, there is this one forest in which when you enter it, you will see nothing but the break of dawn spelled in the sky, however long you decide to stay there. There is also this forest which is known for housing an enormous cave; whatever lies within there, no one wished to know that.

But that wasn't all the Gray Garden has. Where did the residents stay? Of course they had a separate place of their own.

At the heart of the Garden lay what they called the Gray Village, a place where majority of the townsfolk stayed and led their lives in peace. It had everything a normal village would have: simple homes, shops and stores (lots of them, at that)—it even had a school and a huge library, should you take the correct pathway. Speaking of pathways, if one is to go further south, beyond the school, you are sure to encounter the coast, which is a good place to go to, should you want to have a taste of the sea and the air that came with it.

Now…

Going back to the village, its residents are pretty much as normal as normal can be. There they are, currently busy with their daily musings; it was quite a peaceful sight. In a lone park bench that lay near a small shop, you would see a devil that looks as though she would be able to fall asleep in a matter of seconds. Near a small library, you would be able to see an innocent angel talking about… ah, _never mind that_.

In another side of the town, there is a devil eating bugs as she watches another devil seemingly in an argument with an angel, and—

Wait, eating bugs? An argument?

"Seriously? A scary-looking devil like you has the hobby of… baking?" a blonde-haired angel asks, a hint of mockery in his words. "That, my friend, is extremely… lame."

"Hmm. Says an angel whose hobby is to take foolish 'adventures' and to look at things that shouldn't be looked at, who's lamer here, eh? A hypocrite, that's what you are," the devil in question retorted, rolling his eyes. "Pretty stupid if you ask me."

A pink-haired devil, wearing a puffy black dress and a pair of bat-like hair ties, has been watching them all this time. She decided to intervene. "Booooys… as much as I'd like to watch your little, dare I say, quarrel…" she began, as she munches on a fat caterpillar, "it would be better if you guys would stop now. Ciel wouldn't be the least bit happy about this, now, would she, eh, Lost?"

Hearing the name made Lost flinch, though this went a bit unnoticed. "The fuck? It's not like we're having a war or anything. Stop acting like Miss Goody-Two-Shoes… it doesn't suit you Cranber."

"He's right," the angel said, nodding in agreement for once.

"Besides… doesn't this happen to you as well when Rigatona questions your—if I may emphasize—_gross eating habits_, so…" he trailed off, taking a moment to smirk at her.

In response to this, Cranber's expression darkened, her attention focusing more on the angel than on Lost. With a seemingly innocent smile on her face, she replied, "My 'gross eating habits', as you called it, are none of your concern, Sherbet. Or… how about I exhibit that eating habit right now? Want me to take a bite off of you every chance I get? Or… oh, wait!" she exclaimed for a bit, her voice more high-pitched than usual.

A few moments after, her tone became slightly lower than before. "How about I bite off of you **NOW**?"

"Oh?" Sherbet says, his smirk getting wider by the second as he grips his box staff. "I'd like to see you try. Though… don't be so confident that I'd let you do it so easily, doll."

Hearing this, Cranber's smile becomes even wider, revealing her sharp teeth. As if on cue, her pigtails started thrashing about, revealing a series of spikes that hid underneath, then poised themselves, akin to a Venus fly trap. They seemed to be in a frenzy, which makes even Lost a bit scared of Cranber and sorry for Sherbet.

"Don't blame me if you end up being mutilated after this, boy," Cranber said eerily.

"Not gonna happen. And don't think I'd go easy on you just because you're a girl and a friend of mine," Sherbet replied smugly.

At this point, they were about to attack each other. Until…

"**What the—?**"

Those were the words that they both uttered the moment that a certain green flame suddenly went in their way. As soon as it disappeared, both turned their heads to the direction of where the flame came from.

"What is the meaning of this? What's going on here?"

Sherbet managed a small, nervous chuckle before speaking. "E-Eh—ah, hey there, Yosaf, dude—and I see you have Ciel with you, heheh—"

"Why, hello, Yosaflame~" Cranber says, her face going back to how it was in the first place before it all happened. "You see, your friend Sherbet here was—"

"Shut up! You're completely shifting the blame, you—"

"Don't change the subject. **What is going on here?**"

With much hesitation, the three of them turned to face Yosaflame.

Yosaflame was yet another devil who resided in the Gray Village. He had long, apple-green hair, and a face that always reeked of being stern. It didn't help that he always wore a black business suit, which made him look extremely formal. Like all devils, he had a pair of horns, but his was unique in design—while his left horn was completely plain, having nothing but color in it, his right horn had a blue wave-like pattern of some sort, which distinguished him from his fellow devils.

Behind Yosaflame was Ciel, an angel who rarely spoke to anyone. She seldom communicated with the others. No, it wasn't that, but rather, she communicated through looks and gestures than through words. She was clad in blue from head to toe: she had a blue flower-like hair tie, a blue cape with a light-colored cross underneath to the left, and a long, blue dress with long, white sleeve cuffs. She was what everyone called the perfect representation of an angel.

As Sherbet stepped closer to Yosaflame to explain himself, Lost couldn't help but snicker a bit as Sherbet spoke, albeit with exaggerated gestures and whatnot.

"A-And that's what happened! Yeah, exactly like that! Me and Lost were just hanging out together like normal, Cranber intervened for no fucking reason, I told her off, and she decided to attack me right then and there! Y-Yeah, that was all! That was all, I fucking swear," Sherbet exclaimed, having a lopsided smile as he tried to keep calm so as to sound believable.

Cranber smiled mockingly upon hearing this. "He's actually telling the truth, Yosaflame~" she began, "but to say that he just 'told me off' doesn't ring quite right, you see~ He insulted me, mind you," she continued, twirling a strand of her hair.

"And you guys weren't 'hanging out', you were practically insulting each other! Doesn't sound normal and friendly to me," she added, rolling her eyes while turning away just to smirk a bit.

Sherbet's smile started crumbling little by little, turning into a look that spelled either panic, nervousness, or anger. "As if you haven't seen us do that very often! That's very normal, I tell you! Don't try twisting what really happened, bitch!" he retorted.

"Say what you may. Though, that doesn't change the fact that you insulted me… how shameful! And considering that you're an angel… well, I guess not all angels are like Ciel," Cranber says with a sigh, feigning distress. "Such a disappointment."

"I did NOT insult you! Or… okay, maybe I did, but did I even mention anything about ripping off each others' guts? You were the one who wanted that in the first place, you annoying, bug-eating—"

"**THAT'S ENOUGH.**"

Yosaflame's stern voice was more than enough to stop the two from arguing any further. He then proceeded to look at Cranber, then at Sherbet, and with a heavy sigh, started to speak. "Lost, what do you have to say about this?"

Just as Lost was about to open his mouth to speak, his eyes met a pair of green orbs that looked as if they were pleading to him. He gave out a heavy sigh upon seeing that Ciel was extremely hoping that he would be telling the truth, although she didn't show it quite openly as she should.

After a moment of silence, Lost finally spoke.

"I-It was just as Sherbet said. We were just having a small argument on whose hobby was the worst, and Cranber… erm, somehow misinterpreted it and thought we were fighting seriously," he took a moment to pause, as if he was worried that he might say something wrong. "Then Sherbet says something about Cranber's eating habits. Cranber got mad, and what happened after that was… pretty much what you saw before blowing off a hella lot of fire," he ended, hoping that somehow no one between Sherbet and Cranber would raid his home tonight for somehow putting both of them down.

Hearing all of it, Yosaflame's face remained neutral for a few moments, making the other people wonder if he was even considering their explanations. He then starting shaking his head, and spoke yet again. "As much as I'd like to deal with this, there are other things that are much more important than these… petty arguments," he began, as he glared at both Cranber and Sherbet.

"I'll decide who to believe later. For the meantime, the reason why I came here is because of a certain announcement."

At this point, everyone's attention was diverted to Yosaflame. "Eh? An announcement? What's up?" Sherbet asked, curious.

"It is something that's coming from Blancblack Castle," Ciel finally says, in a voice that would've been barely audible for anyone, had it not been that they were all practically huddled together in a small circle. "Apparently, the God of our world and the King of Devils have reached an agreement of some sort."

"Wait, wait, wait a minute, what's this about the King of Devils? When did we have one?" Lost asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Last time I checked, our King was dead, so isn't God technically our only ruler now?"

"Do you even go out that often, Lost? Or are you too busy with your girly recipes?" Sherbet mocked, his mischievous nature showing itself as the incident that happened earlier somehow became a bit forgotten.

Yosaflame had the time to shoot a warning glare at Sherbet, who decided to remain quiet, then he turned to Lost to answer his question.

"Yes, while it's true that our King is dead, there has been a new devil who has been selected to replace him. Which isn't really that surprising, since of course, we can't just go on without a king," he says, crossing his arms.

"That much is true," Ciel says, a small smile making its way to her face.

"That aside… yes, the devils have a new King, and this King has entered a pact with our God."

This time, it was Cranber's turn to shoot Ciel an inquiry. "Ah, Miss Ciel, if you wouldn't mind… what exactly does this pact contain?"

Hearing this, Ciel takes a moment to smile yet again, before answering.

"This pact states that…"

* * *

"… that the angels and the demons of my world will now co-exist peacefully without any personal or racial conflict," she answers, her voice monotone.

The inquirer, an angel dressed in a light-gray coat and a white dress, and armed with a quiver full of arrows, nods in understanding upon hearing an answer. "So that's what the pact contains…"

"Though… with all due respect, Lady Etihw, why create this pact? Not that I intend on intruding, but… we all know that angels and demons are complete opposites in terms of kind, right?"

Etihw, the God of the Garden, turns to the angel so as to answer her. "That much is true," she began, her expression unchanging, "but in this world that I myself created, they are the only groups that exist within this world. What good would it bring to have these groups in conflict? And with the only reason being their racial differences? No, that won't do."

"Also, I have had the Head Angel talk this over with their King. There hasn't been any problems with that, considering that their King agreed to this," she added.

"That alone already makes things final, now, am I not right, Alela Grora?" Etihw said, proceeding to look down at the angel who stood just a few feet below her.

To this, Grora nodded in agreement. "That does seem like a good reason, Go—Lady Etihw. Very valid, if I could say so myself," she said. "But… well, not that I question your decision, Lady Etihw, I greatly respect it, really, I do—"

Etihw interrupted her. "If you have something to say, then just say it straight; don't beat around the bush. It makes you look as though you actually are questioning me. Do I make myself clear on that?"

"Yes, my Lady." _Well, if you would've let me finish talking, then maybe I wouldn't sound that way to you_, Grora thought, biting her lip.

"Now, back to what I was saying earlier… how are you sure that you can trust this King? I mean, I'm pretty sure you haven't really met him in person, am I right, Lady Etihw?"

"Yes, that much is true," Etihw replied. "But what about it?"

_Oh man, this is going to be hard._ "So, if we don't know that much about him other than being the King of Devils, then… how are we sure that he can be trusted? I mean, it could be possible that he has a secret agenda or something like that."

This made Etihw think for a few moments. Then she finally spoke.

"If that was the case, Alela Grora…"

Etihw took some time to pause, before continuing, her expression darker and her voice more monotone than before.

"… then he, as the King of Devils, should know better than to even come into an agreement with a God, let alone, with me. Surely, he isn't that stupid, now, **is he?**"

"..."

"..."

Silence. More silence. Until Etihw spoke yet again.

"Now, if you do not have any more inquiries, then you may take your leave."

At this point, Grora let out a small sigh. "V-Very well then, my Lady." Just when she was about to turn to the door, however, Etihw called back to her.

"Also, Alela Grora…"

"Y-Yes, my lady?"

"If I had let you finish speaking earlier, then it would be a waste of my time, and we wouldn't get very far in our conversation."

Grora couldn't help but let out a small gasp upon hearing this. _How did she—_

"What did you expect of me? I am God, after all. Don't expect me to not know."

* * *

As soon as she exited the Great Hall, Grora couldn't help but literally stomp away from that door in irritation.

_Really now, what kind of a God is she? Ugh… she shouldn't just read other people's minds just like that!_

Shaking her head, Grora decided to dismiss these thoughts so as to not ruin her day any further.

_I hope I'll be able to bump into the Head Angel today, _she thought._ Yes, bullying him for a while might get me out of my bad mood._

And with that, Grora set off to find the Head Angel.

* * *

As nighttime arrived at the Great Hall, Etihw turns her head to look outside the wide, round window that was placed just beside the table. She let out a heavy sigh.

_Yes, that's right_, she thought. _The pact shall be in effect starting tomorrow. Also…_

_Tomorrow would be the day that I would meet him._

As she thought of these things, she had her lips in a tight frown.

_Just what kind of person would this King of Devils be, I wonder…_

* * *

_Just what kind of person would the God of the Garden be, I wonder_…

The King of Devils couldn't help but worry about such trivial things that night. Well, it wasn't really quite surprising, considering that he didn't really have that high an experience when it came to being a ruler, let alone, a King. He is newly-elected, after all… no one should blame him, should anything go wrong tomorrow.

But no, that was something that he will not allow to happen. No, not tomorrow, of all days. Or rather, it was something that he **cannot** allow to happen. He knew that even at this moment, other devils are probably watching his every move, and are more likely to scrutinize him the moment he commits a mistake.

He has to surpass their expectations.

Before he decided to go to sleep that night, he remembered what his younger brother had told him that day, a few hours or so ago… he couldn't really remember how long it has been.

_Brother, now that you would be agreeing to this pact… keep in mind that you'll have to somehow stick with it. I'm not allowed to tell you much, but our God… is not someone you can mess around with._

_Please keep that in mind… Kcalb._

With a heavy sigh and thoughts running around in his mind, Kcalb decided to call it a night.

Tomorrow, he will be able to meet the God his brother held in such high regard.


	3. Blancblack Castle

**II**

**-Blancblack Castle-**

On the outside, today looked just like any other day in the Garden. The village remained peaceful as always. There was that usual town bustle that went on in it every day; lots of chattering and possibly meaningless babble were all over the place. While this would sound annoying to a normal person, to the residents, this was their exact definition of peace, quiet, and normality.

But for today, that was only for the sake of outer appearances. No, it wasn't because they were actually sad in the inside. In fact, today was actually a day everyone should be up and about, celebrating. Why, you ask?

For today was a special day for all of them, angels and devils alike. This was the day they had all been waiting for ever since the previous King of Devils had died and the devils were left without a ruler.

The day that a certain pact will be created.

That alone was really good news for everyone, especially the devils. While it's true that some of them have a bad feeling of how this pact would turn out in the end, majority of the residents still believed that this meant a fresh start for all of them. Some of them are starting to speculate about who the new King of Devils would be. Some, on the other hand, are starting to reveal to others their expectations of whoever their new King would be.

Either ways, emotions were really starting to run high that day, they were pretty much a mix of anticipation and anxiety, excitement and dread, and so much more. Like two sides of the same coin. Which, of course, is quite unavoidable.

As the time drew near for the residents to hear the official pact, some of them are now starting to get ready to go to the place where everything important would take place.

And where, you ask?

None other than the Gray Village's castle, Blancblack Castle.

* * *

Blancblack Castle was a place that takes up a large amount of space in the Garden. Located to the North of the Gray Village, the castle in itself could serve as a city of some sort in itself; that was how vast it was. The way to the castle itself is quite long, considering how it would actually pass by a lot of miniature gardens that surrounded it.

The first thing one would see there upon arrival is the huge wall that surrounds it; an immense brick wall with pillars that are, in turn, decorated with at least one huge diamond on top that served as a barrier of sorts. In the gap between the walls, one would be greeted by a grand staircase that would lead to a cobblestone path, which, in return, would lead to the only fountain in the castle that bore its name on it, should one pay attention at all. After passing that fountain, one should be able to find the actual entrance of the castle; that is, a huge door with a symmetric diamond pattern for decoration.

Entering this door, you will be led again to another pathway, albeit made of marble. The sides of the path are adorned with pillars that, again, have a diamond atop of it. If one were to pay attention, one would notice that the diamonds were of two colors: black and white. Another thing one would notice is that the castle is seemingly divided into half; whereas while the left half (should one be entering the castle) is decorated with white diamonds, the right half, on the other hand, is decorated with black diamonds.

Going back to the path, it leads again to yet another staircase, albeit smaller than the one seen in the main entrance. On either side of the said staircase, one would be able to find a small door. While it is unknown to some residents what these doors contain, it is said that they actually lead to a miniature garden. How there is a garden inside the castle, no one wishes to know.

This staircase, should one finish climbing it, would lead to two sides of the castle. Technically speaking, whichever side one takes wouldn't really matter, since whatever one side contains, the other side will most likely contain that as well. The only difference would be the color of the diamonds on top of the pillars, as well as the color of each room's furniture, which are found in almost every room you pass by.

Starting from here, the castle has three floors that are open to the public, excluding the park-like entrance. On the first floor of the castle, one would be able to find rooms that seemingly served as a lounge for whoever wanted to pass by. After that, once one enters the second floor, one should be able to find rooms that served as a library of some sort. Each library is managed by either an angel or devil that served the castle. And finally, on the third floor, one would be taken to rooms that contained a seemingly long table. What purpose it served… perhaps for meetings. Either ways, like the first two floors, it was also open to anyone and everyone who meant no harm.

Surely, some residents think that the castle has only four floors.

Wrong.

At the very end of the third floor, there would be only one staircase in the middle that would lead to the very top of the castle, unlike the other floors, which had at least a narrow staircase on either side of the floor. This place is only reserved for trusted attendants, important visitors, those who have been summoned by God and those who have special permission from either the Head Angel or his subordinates.

Once one reaches the end of that single staircase, one would be greeted by, yet again, a diamond-patterned door… although this time, it seems slightly darker, and not to mention, larger than the first door, if not the same in size. On both sides of the door, there is a smaller door. Like the diamonds, they are also color-coded; the one on the left is white, while the one on the right is black. No one knows what these doors may contain, but there are some attendants who claim that those doors are actually the rooms of those who ruled over the Garden. Whether or not that is true, no resident really knows.

But what of the central door? What lies behind it? Well, only a few people know about that. What the residents know, however, is that the room behind it was called 'The Great Hall'.

At this moment, however, something really important is soon to happen behind that door.

Behind that door, at this very moment, God is just there, sitting atop the room, waiting.

**Waiting for the arrival of a King.**

* * *

Meanwhile, in a slightly far-away place within the Garden, a certain newly-elected King of Devils was starting to prepare his things for his departure for Blancblack Castle. After all, as the new ruler of the Garden, he would have to start living alongside God, as it had been with all the other Kings… though, from the stories he had been told, God's relationships with them didn't go as pleasantly as they should have.

As soon as Kcalb heard of these, he had started praying that he would be different from all of them, that he would actually have a decent relationship with God, regardless of the apparent differences in race and, most likely, beliefs.

_May God have at least the least bit of mercy on me_, he thought, biting on his lower lip as he looked at himself in the mirror that was present in his room. As he looked at his reflection, he couldn't help but think of why he, of all people, was chosen to be the next king. He didn't really understand it at all. _What exactly did they see in me_? he thought, his brows furrowing in confusion. As far as he was concerned, all he could see in the mirror was an unsociable, reclusive devil who refuses to even think of the outside world.

_They could've just chosen my younger brother—no, that can't be, he's an angel_.

The fact that he had an angel for a younger brother made Kcalb wish that he be born as the angel instead. _If that had happened_, he thought, _then maybe I wouldn't have to deal with such a heavy burden. But then again…_

"Perhaps this really is unavoidable," he muttered, shaking his head slowly. It was only then that Kcalb had realized that being in the royal family can actually be quite a pain. Back when he was younger, he never really cared about what happened outside of their castle, politically speaking; in fact, he and his younger brother would even make fun of it once in a while. And yet, here he is now, in the very position that he had made fun of before.

Oh, the irony.

_If only—_

"Brother."

Kcalb's train of thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. He had been so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that someone had already entered his room.

None other than Blancblack Castle's Head Angel, Wodahs.

With apparent difficulty, Kcalb turned away from the mirror to face his younger brother.

"What is it, Wod?" he asked, with a face that reeked of tiredness and lack of enthusiasm. Seeing this, Wodahs' face softened a bit, his eyes showing concern for his brother.

"… Nothing, really. I just wanted to check on you and see if you were ready. Since it's almost time for us to leave," Wodahs replied.

"…" Kcalb remained in silence before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

"I see. Then… just wait for me downstairs," he said. "I'll be there in a moment, I suppose."

Wodahs nodded upon hearing this. "That's good to hear. I'll be taking my leave then," he said, turning around so as to leave the room.

Kcalb was about to go back to facing the mirror, but was again interrupted by his brother's voice calling out to him.

"… Brother."

Not turning away from the mirror this time, Kcalb replied, "…What?"

"I have a small request to make, if you don't mind."

This surprised Kcalb. He knew for a fact that Wodahs didn't really speak out his mind quite often. Kcalb remained silent, still not facing Wodahs.

"…"

"If possible, please remove all nervousness that you have right now, while we haven't left yet."

Kcalb turned to Wodahs in surprise. "How…"

His brother's reaction didn't surprise him at all, not even one bit. Maintaining a straight face, he continued, "I'm your brother. Do you not expect me to at least know how shy you actually are, even with these matters?"

"…"

"…"

"…" Kcalb had no idea what to say at that moment. The silence continued to echo inside that room. Until…

"… fine."

To Wodahs, that was enough of an answer, though by looking at his face, it was obvious that he was still in doubt. "I'll be leaving for real now," he said, as he turned to leave the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as he had left, Kcalb couldn't help but be dumbfounded for a few moments before finally regaining his train of thought.

"…" _Damn you_, Kcalb thought, gritting his teeth. Though he can't help but admit that Wodahs was indeed right about that; his socializing skills were embarrassingly low, for a King.

_And perhaps I really need to do it_, he thought, another heavy sigh escaping his lips. It made him remember what Wodahs had told him yesterday about their God.

Straightening himself up, Kcalb finally put on his black coat, took one last look at his room, and went out to join Wodahs.

* * *

In the Great Hall, Etihw remained still, sitting on a chair that floated near the highest window of the room, never uttering a single word. It was very quiet. So quiet to the point that Etihw can actually hear her steady heartbeat loud and clear.

While her whole body was poised, akin to that of how a proper lady sat, her eyes, however, never took themselves off the single white warp slate that lay untouched in the hallway beneath her.

This warp slate was where she expected the King of Devils to arrive.

With a deep sigh, Etihw continued to stare at the warp slate intently as she continued to think of what kind of person the King would be.

At the moment, she had quite high expectations of him, whoever he would be. She expected him to be someone strict, extralegal in actions, and someone responsible. Someone who she actually rely on, should any serious problem in the Garden arise.

As much as Etihw wanted these thoughts of hers to come true, at the back of her mind, she was somehow afraid that the King would turn out to be the complete opposite of it all. That the King would be like all the other Kings that had once ruled in the Garden; stubborn, boastful, cocky, all talk… she had seen so much of them that it was all sounding really monotonous to her, as if it was already a ritual within the castle.

But… _no_, she thought, her lips in a straight line and her eyes devoid of any emotion. _I shouldn't think like this. Who am I to doubt the one who is yet to come? One who I hadn't met just yet?_

"Such foolish thoughts," Etihw uttered, her expression darkening.

Suddenly, a sound interrupted her thoughts.

Taken by surprise, Etihw blinked twice, looking at the warp slate, or rather, the people beside it. Upon seeing them, Etihw put on the most professional face she could possibly think of.

Finally.

"Lady Etihw."

As he looked up to Etihw, Wodahs began to speak, his hands gesturing to his companion.

"The King is here."

Upon hearing this, Etihw looked at Wodahs, before turning to the person he called 'King'.

"So…" Etihw began, a small smile forming on her lips.

"**We finally meet."**

* * *

Back at the Gray Village, Yosaflame, along with Sherbet, Cranber, Lost, and Ciel, were already making their way towards Blancblack Castle, along with a lot more residents who were all looking very enthusiastic for what was soon to take place.

As they passed by one miniature garden after another, they conversed with each other casually. Everything was normal, until Sherbet suddenly nudged Yosaflame.

"'Ey, Yosaf," he began, nudging Yosaflame a bit too hard for the latter to not be annoyed by the gesture.

With an annoyed voice, he replied, "What is it, Sherbet?"

"Um… Say…" he began, playing with the edges of his scarf, "have you met this new King of Devils, yourself?"

To this, Yosaflame suddenly looked at Sherbet as if he just asked an extremely stupid question.

"Of course not," he replied, matter-of-factly, "why would you even think that I would?"

"Oh, nothing… just that, uh, well, I figured that since you're quite a frequent summon at the castle, I thought that might've at least met 'im. Or heard of 'im."

Yosaflame shook his head. "Today will be the King's first day at the castle, so of course, no one, not even God, would meet him," he said, adjusting his glasses for a moment before continuing.

"But… now that you mentioned it, I have been hearing bits about him from the attendants."

Now it was Cranber's turn to break some silence. "Ohhh, really?!" she asked excitedly.

"Then… would you mind telling us what you know of him?"

"That could be a good thing to do, y'know," Lost said, turning to Yosaflame.

"Seconded," Sherbet added. "Also, there's still a long way to go before we reach the castle, so yeah, do tell, man."

"…" Ciel remained silent, holding on to Lost's hand the whole time as they all showed their curiosity on the Garden's new King. She somehow expected Yosaflame to tell them about what he knew; even she herself admits that she is quite curious about the King as well.

However, Yosaflame shook his head. "No."

"Oh?"

"Huh?"

"**Whaaaaaat?**" Sherbet said, the impatience apparent in his voice.

"Come on, Yosaf, don't hog the details to yourself!"

"I said no, and that's final," Yosaflame replied, irritated. "I wouldn't want to gossip about the King. Besides, you never know; what if the information I have is false? It won't do anyone good, believe me," he explained.

Hearing this, Sherbet was obviously annoyed. "Killjoy."

"Say what you want. I won't change my mind."

"But—"

"Guuuuuuuuuuuys~!"

Just as Sherbet was about to argue with Yosaflame, a familiar, high-pitched voice interrupted them.

The voice came from an angel who, at the moment, was hovering over the walls of the castle.

"I'd hate to interrupt, but… mhmm, it seemed like you didn't notice that you're all here already~"

Yosaflame and the others stopped for a moment to look at the surroundings, and as the angel had said, they were already at Blancblack Castle. Not surprisingly, it was quite packed, which was a rare sight, considering how the castle is usually quiet and empty most of the time.

"Come on in, all of yoooou~!"

Entering the castle along with the others, Yosaflame started scanning his surroundings. As soon as he had finished doing so, he finally managed to grasp what was happening at the moment. A peaceful look appeared on his face.

The pact had been made.


End file.
